Launch of the State of Children in Serbia Report 2006

Over 300,000 children in Serbia today live in poverty and exclusion

Despite the important steps that have been taken to improve the status of
children in Serbia since the late 1990s, there are still over 300,000 children
today who are living in poverty or are at risk of poverty according to a UNICEF
Report released today.

The State of Children in Serbia 2006 Report – Poor and Excluded Children,
produced jointly by the Republic Statistical Office in Serbia, the Council
for Child Rights of the Republic of Serbia and UNICEF Belgrade Office, is based
on the unique information and statistics derived from the unpublished “Research
on Family Beliefs and Care Practices” and “Survey on Child Poverty”,
and includes the most recent striking indicators and data from the 2006 Multiple
Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS).

“ Childhood is an opportunity that never comes back,” said
UNICEF Serbia Representative Ann-Lis Svensson. “ The future of Serbia depends
on a healthy and educated generation, which requires inclusive policies that
target specifically the poor and excluded children and a better use of resources.”

The Report finds that over 155,000 children in Serbia are poor and that an
additional 155,000 are at risk of falling below the poverty line. These are
the children who due to material, social and cultural deprivation are limited
in the realisation of their rights to education, healthcare, equal development
and protection. Analysis of data from rural and urban areas, from households
of different sizes and structures reveal significant disparities within the
country. The largest percentage of children who are above the average risk
of poverty are:

children from large families

children living in rural areas, especially
in Southeast and Western Serbia

children belonging to certain minority groups,
particularly Roma

internally displaced people and refugee children.

These children are growing up beyond the reach of development and are often
invisible in everything from public debate and laws, to statistics and news
stories.

Improving the status of children will depend on the level of priority this
objective will get among the numerous reform objectives of a country in transition.
Awareness and good data for evidence-based policy making and for monitoring
the effects of these policies are urgently required.

Over 80 per cent of Roma children living in Roma settlements are poor and
practically all indicators point to their unacceptable deprivation and multidimensional
discrimination. Research presented in the Report show that these children more
often suffer from illness and stunting as a result of malnutrition and hunger – four
times as many Roma children are stunted compared to the national average. The
preliminary MICS survey results indicate that infant and under five mortality
rates are three times higher among Roma children than in the general population.
These children have to take on adult roles in lack of sufficient government
assistance, often live in slums or cardboard and tin houses and have little
access to services.

In Serbia, only 33% of children attend pre-school institutions, but
this percentage is drastically lower among Roma children – only 4% and
just 6% among the 20% poorest. 6% of children living
under the poverty line do not go to primary school and only 13%
of Roma children complete primary school. One of the most often cited reasons
for non-attendance is poverty. And yet, education is a key area for breaking
the inter-generational cycle of poverty and exclusion. Among the poor, the
majority come from families with adult members who have no educational background.

There are also other children who are excluded – children deprived of
parental care in residential institutions, children living with disabilities
and children victims of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence.

Children with disabilities are not only excluded from the healthcare and educational
system, but are also exposed to isolation and non acceptance by the community.
Parents of children with disabilities are often left alone without adequate
support from government.

Lack of adequate social welfare services at local level to support poor or
dysfunctional families, or to provide good quality foster family services often
lead to institutionalisation, which deprives the child of the right to grow
in a family environment and limits the development of the child for life.

Finally, the Report points to the fact that in Serbia corporal punishment
of children is still present in both the family and in schools, and that other
forms of violence are also frequent. Interfering in inter-family relationships
is still considered unacceptable, and it seems that there is still insufficient
public condemnation of ‘disciplining’ children. A significant number
of children are exposed to violence from peers, and also to violent behaviour
from teachers.

The State of Children in Serbia 2006 Report calls for action to be taken urgently.

About UNICEF
UNICEF is on the ground in 156 countries and territories to help children
survive and thrive, from early childhood through adolescence. The world’s
largest provider of vaccines for developing countries, UNICEF supports child
health and nutrition, good water and sanitation, quality basic education for
all boys and girls, and the protection of children from violence, exploitation,
and AIDS. UNICEF is funded entirely by the voluntary contributions of individuals,
businesses, foundations and governments.

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